Just because the vast majority of Americans can't find Samarkand on a map and are unlikely to answer what country it's in doesn't mean they don't care about what's going on in that city.

On the contrary, the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which this time is being held in Samarkand, receives an unusually large amount of attention in the major American media.

Many American media cite the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he said at a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping: “Attempts to create a unipolar world have recently acquired absolutely ugly outlines and are absolutely unacceptable for the vast majority of states on the planet,” and see them as an application for the formation of a "security alliance" that opposes US influence.

Journalists prone to exaggeration sometimes call the SCO "anti-NATO", which, of course, is not true.

But even while recognizing that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a political, not a military structure, American analysts cannot hide their concern about what is happening on the distant Eurasian continent.

Mainly because they expect the meeting in Samarkand to strengthen the alliance between Moscow and Beijing and, as a result, strengthen the positions of Russia and China on the world stage.

And the US does not want this at all.

To visit Samarkand, Chinese leader Xi Jinping left his country for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the eyes of American experts, such a move once again emphasizes the importance of the summit for Beijing.

But many note that Xi Jinping used the SCO summit to "highlight the joint efforts of the authoritarian governments of China and Russia to become the world's leading powers and challenge what they call US 'unipolar' dominance."

“Although Xi has met personally with Putin 39 times since he became president of China in 2013, he has not yet met with Joe Biden since the latter became president of the United States in 2021,” he carefully counts the contacts of the Russian and Chinese leaders Reuters.

While Biden calls Vladimir Putin a "bloody dictator," China's leader "is using a very different language," writes Steve Rosenberg on the BBC website.

"My dear old friend!"

Xi Jinping exclaimed as the two leaders met at a regional summit in Samarkand.

Indeed, the President of Russia and the Chairman of the People's Republic of China are connected not only by relations of strategic partnership, but also by human friendship and mutual sympathy.

What's wrong with that?

“The partnership between Xi and Putin is considered one of the most significant developments in geopolitics since China’s spectacular rise over the past 40 years,” Reuters admits through gritted teeth.

And then he adds a fly in the ointment: “But the war in Ukraine has highlighted the different trajectories of China and Russia: one is a rising superpower whose economy is predicted to overtake the United States in a decade, the other is a former superpower fighting in a debilitating war.” 

The theory that China is on the rise and Russia is in decline is very popular in the West.

Back in 2009, the current US President (and then Vice President under Obama) assigned 15 years of existence to “fading” Russia, so this point of view can be considered the mainstream. 

Surprisingly, it does not prevent American experts from seeing the growing strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing as an "existential threat to the United States."

Already familiar to readers of my columns, Rebecca Koffler scares Fox News audiences by listing reasons why the West should be afraid of a rapprochement between Russia and China.

And individually, these countries, which the Pentagon has called "almost equal competitors to America," pose a huge threat to the United States, Koffler writes.

And in combination, this threat multiplies many times over!

Both China and Russia "devised long-term strategies to destabilize American society through espionage, clandestine influence operations, subversion, and election meddling."

Beijing and Moscow are preparing to defeat America on the battlefield if Washington intervenes in a regional conflict such as the war in Ukraine or the invasion of Taiwan.

Of course, the Pentagon specifically developed the “doctrine of two wars” to deal with just such a threat.

However, U.S. stockpiles are dwindling due to supplies to Ukraine, and the “chaotic withdrawal” of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is casting doubt on the U.S. Army’s ability to fight in two theaters simultaneously.

But Russia and China can join forces to help each other in the conflict with NATO!

“Most recently, the Vostok 2022 exercise simulated a Russian-Chinese “joint special operation” in response to the perceived threat from Japan, South Korea and the United States,” Koffler recalls.

If we talk not about war, but about peace, then the American expert is horrified by the acceleration of economic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing, the transition to payments in rubles and yuan instead of dollars and euros, and plans to integrate the Chinese initiative "One Belt, One Road" with the Eurasian Economic union.

Already, China is providing "critical economic assistance" to Russia, which reduces the effect of "strong Western sanctions."

China's trade with Russia and energy exports from Moscow to Beijing are constantly growing.

In 2025, the Power of Siberia gas pipeline will operate at full capacity.

The huge Chinese market will provide Russia with revenues that will allow it not to open the recently closed Nord Stream to Europe and leave the West without its energy resources.

Just a nightmare!

The main danger, Koffler believes, lies in the fact that Russia and China, despite all historical disputes and contradictions, are united by a common cause - "belittling the role of America in the world and promoting an authoritarian system of government."

And the fact that Putin and Xi have developed a “comfortable relationship” makes their strategic tandem “even more dangerous.”

“Putin seeks to restore a union like the USSR in Eurasia.

Xi is bringing to life the age-old vision of the “Chinese dream” of economic prosperity and military power.”

And this, of course, is unacceptable, because "the growing alliance of two enemies of the United States, possessing nuclear weapons, ambitious for the future of their countries ... represents a great danger to the motherland."

Let me remind you that Koffler's real name is Irina and she was born in the former USSR.

However, even the ancient Romans said about such experts Ubi bene ibi patria - “Where is good,

But Rebecca-Irina expresses not only her personal opinion.

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican and Trumpist, said Putin and Xi Jinping are seeking to create a "new global order" that threatens "democracy and sovereignty."

"Today's meeting demonstrates China and Russia's ongoing efforts to strengthen a new 'axis of evil' at the expense of freedom around the world," she tweeted.

“The United States must continue to stand firm against these malevolent forces and stand by the people of Taiwan and Ukraine.”

The official White House, however, is trying to play down the significance of the meeting between Putin and Xi, emphasizing that Beijing “has not yet violated” the Western sanctions against Moscow and has not provided direct material assistance to Russia. 

“Our message to China… was consistent: now is not the time to do business with Mr. Putin, given what he has done to Ukraine.

Now is not the time to isolate ourselves from the rest of the international community," National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby told CNN.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was a little more candid: “We have made clear our concerns about the depth of China's relationship with Russia, even as Russia wages an aggressive brutal war in Ukraine… This meeting is an example of such an alliance.

I am not going to go beyond these comments,” she said at a briefing on 15 September.

In contrast, the US intelligence community believes that underestimating the Russian-Chinese alliance could cost America dearly.

The Washington Times quotes former Pacific Fleet Intelligence Director, retired Navy Captain Jim Fanell: "The growing strategic alliance between Russia and China does not bode well for the West."

Fanell warns that ignoring the potential danger of a Moscow-Beijing rapprochement would be a "deadly mistake" - a trend seen in national security policy circles (who said John Kirby?).

“It’s time for American leaders of all stripes to return to the Cold War standard where they have the ability to fight two major wars in two different theaters at the same time,” the retired intelligence officer urges.

The reason for concern among the intelligence community has increased with the entry into the SCO of Iran.

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi specially flew to Samarkand for this purpose, and he also hastened to meet with the Russian President on the sidelines of the summit.

It is no secret that it was Moscow that consistently supported Iran's entry into the SCO (Beijing hesitated for a long time, not wanting to go into open confrontation with the West, but now the time for doubts has passed).

Mr. Raisi promised Vladimir Putin that Iran would never recognize Western sanctions against Russia and would instead take steps to strengthen ties between our countries. 

Fox News writes that Iran's entry into the SCO "should not come as a surprise" as Tehran, disillusioned with the West after Washington's cancellation of the nuclear deal, is increasingly leaning towards Moscow and Beijing.

Which, of course, "increasingly support the idea of ​​using Iran as a pawn against the West."

The quote is from Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy (an organization associated with the Jewish lobby in the United States), who seems to find it incredible that international organizations do not have to be built on suzerain-vassal relationships, as, for example, NATO.

“Despite the fact that Tehran is not yet a full member of the SCO, it is clear that it yearns for the cover that competitors almost equal to America can provide Iran against Western pressure,” said Ben Taleblou.

And, of course, the irrepressible Rebecca Koffler, who saw Russia's cooperation with "rogue states" as a serious risk to US national security, did not fail to condemn Iran's entry into the SCO.

“Because Russia has the world’s largest nuclear arsenal and vast know-how that Moscow has the potential to share,” Koffler said, “this emerging coalition (even if it’s not a true NATO-style alliance) could have destabilizing effects on the country (US) and all over the world".

“The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, I think, will become an increasingly important organization.

I mean, Iran has just applied to become a permanent member.

It really brings all the adversaries (USA) together into an anti-Western coalition that was formed 20 years ago,” echoed Jonathan Ward, head of the US-China relations research Atlas Organization.

One can, of course, be surprised that the purely peaceful, creative processes of rapprochement between the countries of Eurasia, some of which the West is accustomed to count among its “friends” (such as, for example, India), cause gnashing of teeth among the champions of freedom and democracy on the other hand. Atlantic.

Can.

But is it worth it?

The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.